Lentil Burgers aka Lentil Cakes

This is a recipe in progress.  I am pretty happy with it as a base recipe but I want to tweak it a bit still.

Untested ideas: You could make them gluten free by subbing in GF breadcrumbs.  Flax egg will likely work well for an egg substitute if you want to make them vegan.  Let me know if you try these ideas!

Lentil Burgers aka Lentil Cakes
makes 8-10 burger sized cakes (or you can make them tiny for appetizer bites)

generous 1 cup lentils, any kind will do
2 cup breadcrumbs
3-4 eggs
cumin and coriander, or go with your own flavor combo
garlic and onions, finely chopped OR garlic scapes, chives

Place lentils and 4 cups of water in a medium pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, season with salt, and cook for 15-20 minutes till cooked.  Strain and set aside to cool.

Mix cooled lentils with breadcrumbs, eggs, spices, garlic and onions.  Heat frying pan with a little oil.  Using your hands, grab a fist sized portion of the dough and shape into a burger.  Place in the pan and make more.  Cook a few minutes a side till nicely browned.  Place in oven to keep warm.  They freeze great!  You can also put them on the grill after they are cooked to keep warm.

Serve with:
sour cream and garlic scape pesto
yogurt cucumber dill sauce
on a bun like a burger
ketchup
salad

Grilled tofu

Done right, this is amazing!  Dont skip anything.  Compliments of Serious Eats here.

Grilled Tofu
serves 2-3

One package of firm tofu
Marinade, enough for both before and after grilling (a puree of cilantro and olive oil is great)

Press tofu for a few hours.

Slice to make 2 thin rectangles.

Apply marinade, allowing to sit for 15 minutes to overnight.

Preheat the grill for 10 minutes and then clean the grill.

Oil the grill well.

Slow, indirect heat is best.  It should take about 20 minutes.  Flip and turn as needed.

Apply more of the marinade

Scallion Pancakes (grilled or fried)

One of our favorite restaurants makes these and they are really fun.  Our grill was on the fritz so I made them in a pan on the stove, but I'm looking forward to trying them on our new grill soon.  This recipe comes to us from Serious Eats.


Scallion Pancakes
makes 4 pancakes (serve 4 or a light 6)

For the pancakes:
2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
1 cup boiling water
Up to 1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil
2 cups thinly sliced scallion greens (a must!)
Kosher salt

For the dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely sliced scallion greens
1/2 teaspoon grated or slivered fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sugar


For the Pancakes:
Place flour in food processor. With processor running, slowly drizzle in about 3/4 of boiling water. Process for 15 seconds. If dough does not come together, add in more water a tablespoon at a time until it just comes together. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.

Divide dough into four pieces and roll each into a ball. Working one ball at a time, roll out into a disk 8-inches in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of sesame oil over the top of the disk.

Roll disk up like a jelly roll.

Twist roll into a tight spiral, tucking the end underneath. Flatten gently with your hand, then re-roll into an 8-inch disk.

Paint with another layer or sesame oil, sprinkle with 1/2 cup scallions, and roll up like a jelly roll again.

Twist into a spiral and flatten gently.

Re-roll into a 7-inch disk, brush with oil, and move to the side. Repeat steps with remaining pancakes.


For the Sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside at room temperature.

Heat grill for 5 minutes.  Clean and oil the grilling grate.

Carefully place pancakes directly on grill grates. Cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through and well browned and blistered. Cut into wedges and serve with dipping sauce.

Grilled cumin wings

These wings were so good that even when my daughter was sick with no appetite, SHE ate a few!  They are simple to make and so delicious to eat!  I didnt make them spicy, but you could add in a teaspoon or two of red pepper flakes to the sauce for a nice kick.  The original recipe is from Serious Eats, check it out here, I barely modified it all (mostly just skipping a few bowls and the spice).

Spicy Cumin Wings
Serves 4-6

For the Chicken:
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 pounds chicken wings

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry (or sub in Mirin)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil


For the chicken: Place wings in a large bowl and sprinkle with cumin, baking powder, and salt, tossing to coat evenly.  Cover and let sit in fridge for up to 8 hours.

To make the sauce: Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in garlic, cook about 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and let simmer until sauce has thickened into a thin glaze, about 10 minutes. Set sauce aside.

Grill on cool side of the grill until skins are crisp and are starting to brown, about 40 minutes. If wings have not browned, transfer to hot side of grill and cook until browned, 30-60 seconds per side; move wings back to cool side of grill. Mix cooked wings in a large bowl with glaze. Serve immediately.

Grilled Salmon or Shrimp

This is one of those recipes on a little scrap paper with splashes of soy sauce all over it.  This is simple, so easy, and great for summer.  We had it with edamame, green beans, and our favorite Sauteed Mushrooms.  YUM!

Grilled Salmon or Shrimp
(note - the marinade and sauce use similar ingredients, so make them at the same time)

4-6 pieces of salmon OR 1 pound of shrimp OR a combo of the two

Marinade:
3T garlic, chopped
3T cilantro, optional
2T fish sauce
1/2t sugar
1/2t salt
Pepper
2T oil

Sauce:
2T fish sauce
3T lime juice
2t sugar (although my recipe reads 2T sugar, but that seems like way too much)
1t garlic
1t chili peppers, optional
1t cilantro, optional

Mix them up.  Marinate shrimp for 40 minutes, salmon for 30 minutes.  Grill.  Pour sauce over.  Serve.

Roasted/Grilled Cabbage Steaks

Cabbage!  This is an insanely easy side dish and slightly addictive.  It would be fun to try it again with spices and/or garlic but it was simple and fast with just a sprinkle of salt.

Roasted Cabbage Steaks
(found on a friend's facebook wall without a source.  I've modified it a bit)

1 (approx 2lb) head of organic green cabbage, cut into 1″ thick slices
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
spray olive oil OR non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400F (I rushed it with speed convection on 400 and cut the cooking time in half) and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or use a silpat). Pull outer leaf off cabbage (it’s usually dirty and nasty looking), cut cabbage from top to bottom (bottom being root) into 1″ thick slices.
Use a pastry brush to evenly spread the olive oil over both sides of the cabbage slices (only needed if grilling)
Finally, sprinkle each side with a bit of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  This is the time to sprinkle garlic and/or herbs as well.
Roast on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Carefully flip the cabbage steaks and roast for an additional 30 minutes until edges are brown and crispy. Serve hot and Enjoy!